The present invention is directed to a combustion chamber noise suppressor, and more specifically to the internal design and construction of a combustion chamber for a fog generating machine for distributing chemical agents throughout a field, orchard, or the like.
The use of machines for generating high temperature fogs to which a chemical has been added is old and well known in the art. Such fog generating machines are normally driven by small two cycle or four cycle engines which drive an air compressor at high speeds. The compressed air is delivered to a combustion chamber where it is mixed with a suitable fuel such as gasoline or diesel fuel and ignited by any suitable means, such as an ingnition wire. The active chemical agent is injected into the exhaust gasses from the combustion chamber which then pass through a fogging nozzle prior to injection into the atmosphere. The noise generated by the internal combustion engine and the air compressor result in excessive noise levels which are not only objectionable from an aesthetic point of view, but also dangerous to the hearing of people operating the fog generating machines.
In the past, attempts have been made to reduce the noise level of a fog generating machine by placing a cylindrical muffler having a plurality of internal baffles at the outlet of the combustion chamber. Other attempts have been made to provide an enclosure for the entire machine with insulating material in an attempt to reduce the noise level surrounding the machine. Neither of these approaches were effective in reducing noise levels by any significant amount.